How long does it take....

It's great to hear that this is universal.
I have a wife, two small boys, house, job and all that goes with that. For me, there's also something else that slows me down for some reason.
I have a pile of kits on the shelf and on the bench in various states of completion. My stuG in the group build is a perfect example of my problem: I bought this kit at AMPS East. Even with a bench full of stuff I couldn't wait to start it for some reason. Nothing in my schedule had changed, but I found some time to build for 4 days straight. Blew this thing together, basecoated, got the indies on and now I can't motivate myself to finish it.
Right now I have 2.5 hours to myself, completely unheard of, and I'm here online instead on building. I don't know why, but I am.
Last spring, I couldn't wait to get the Tamiya 1/16 Tiger I and M4. picked up two Radios, batteries everything. Built both kit hulls and then stopped. Every so often, me and the boys will break out the hulls and drive them around the house saying, 'how cool will these be when done', but I never work on them.
I gotta go, finish something...

Depends on motivation & how crazy I get on mods...
Did Tamiya 1:16 Kubel with some scratched extras in 10 weeks,
Did the RC 1:16 TI in 8 weeks with a fair am't of extras,before Aber..
but thats about ALL I did for that time, HAD to see the resultsASAP &
went kind of insane for a while.
My 1:16 King Tiger, a major rebuild & detailing effort, took over 2 years
cause I'd get totally frustrated & just have to let it mellow for a while...
Roowalker

awood 23, I get everything shipped to me at my APO, glue, paint, thinner, everthing that I need. I am in the middle east, TDY to Afghanistan right now, but spend most of my time in Iraq. Try ordering from squadron and great models, they will ship you what ever you need. It takes a little longer to get paints and glues than it does just to get a kit, but they will ship to you.

I am a fairly fast builder, most of my projects take about a month to complete. It has to be that way for me or else I loose interest and the darn thing never gets done.

QUOTE: Originally posted by mastercarp With the Hummel I'm currently building I think it's taking so long because I bought PE and AM ammo from Verlinden. I slow down a lot when using PE. I'm also doing indy tracks for the first time, for both the Hummel and above mentioned Mobelwagon(rubberband tracks for the Mobelwagon were horrible). I'm also getting bored with armor for now, so I've bought a wingy thingy to work on next. But I will be back to the mud, I've got another Mobelwagon and Tamiya's 1/35 T-55 to build. Chris

Hey, Chris

Can you be able to post some pictures of your Hummel!!!!

That will be great, thanks a lot!

QUOTE: Originally posted by tigerman It amazes me super-detailers ever finish a kit. It's endless how much a kit could be upgraded. I guess that is why I'm mostly OOB with minimal PE and AM upgrades that will have the most impact on the kit IMHO. Keeps costs down also.

You know Tigerman, many times during this Sherman project I've had similar thoughts. The problem for me is that once I fiddle around and construct the first teensy-weensy esoteric detail that one needs a magnifier to see, I then feel like I should build the rest of the tank to the same level of detail. I do think that on some of my future projects, I'm going to make a better effort to limit the scope creep of the level of detail.

I guess there is a good side to not having my own family. I'd say I'm at about a build per month. I wanna build more, and more, and more. I work about 12 hours a day 5 days a week, so I don't get much done on the weekdays. I amaze my roommate on the weekends. He'll say, "Let's go out and get a few beers." I reply with, "Naw, I wanna put this turret together." In my own defense this is a military town, there aren't too many available women around.

Six months to one year.I build slowly these days.

QUOTE: Originally posted by tigerman It amazes me super-detailers ever finish a kit. It's endless how much a kit could be upgraded. I guess that is why I'm mostly OOB with minimal PE and AM upgrades that will have the most impact on the kit IMHO. Keeps costs down also.

Make that two of us....(and simply no PE and AM for me..)

Used to be a week or two, now it seems like a year or two as I have a full time job, a part time sales job and a furniture building venture going as well... all to pay for my daughters upcoming wedding next summer and the usual bills associated with home owning in the country... I'm hoping the furniture building and sales will eventually replace the full time job so I can spend more time on hobbies although I have to admit the furniture building is a hobby that can develop income...

Takes me 3 to 5 months as well. I have a 4 year old son, and he takes up a lot of my time, and I don't always feel like working on anything after he gets put to bed. I almost never sit at my work bench for more than 45-60 mins.

With the Hummel I'm currently building I think it's taking so long because I bought PE and AM ammo from Verlinden. I slow down a lot when using PE. I'm also doing indy tracks for the first time, for both the Hummel and above mentioned Mobelwagon(rubberband tracks for the Mobelwagon were horrible). I'm also getting bored with armor for now, so I've bought a wingy thingy to work on next. But I will be back to the mud, I've got another Mobelwagon and Tamiya's 1/35 T-55 to build.

Chris

I'm retired so my builds go fairly fast when i get to work on them,1.5 to 2 months mostly but if i'm scratching it is longer. Being retired puts a krimp in the aftermarket stuff so I do a lot of scratching. Happy modeling people Stephen

It amazes me super-detailers ever finish a kit. It's endless how much a kit could be upgraded. I guess that is why I'm mostly OOB with minimal PE and AM upgrades that will have the most impact on the kit IMHO. Keeps costs down also.

I haven't really timed out my build times, but they are seem pretty slow. I know my M4 mid -production Sherman has been in the works for a long time. Although I know I'm not a particularly fast builder, I too seem to have weeks go by in which I'm lucky to get even an hour or two to build. It seems like these discontinuities really slow things down, because when I so have a bit of time to work, there is time lost just getting back into the groove.

For me, though, the real time-killer is adding detail, researching and scratch-building. For example, the Sherman hatches have these little latches that keep them open and presumably prevent the things from slamming down on an unsuspecting tanker's head. They are actually very small, almost unnoticeable, and therefore not molded with the Tamiya kit. Nonetheless,I decided to scratchbuild them. Not having construction drawings, I had to figure out how they should be built by studying as many photos as I could, mostly from Squadron's Sherman Walk-Around. It's amazing how difficult and time consuming that turned out to be, to figure out a 3-D shape from 2-D photos. Having figured out what they ought to look like, then I have the task of actually making them. I probably used a couple of evenings for the latches on the turret's split-hatch. Another evening or two on the driver's and loader's hatches. Of course, if one builds the retaining latches, one ought to build the springs that reduce the force needed to lift the hull hatches, and there goes another couple of evenings. And the list goes on. If I could get into the out of the box mindset, my build rate would jump considerably.

QUOTE: Originally posted by wipw I also HATE cleaning my airbrush and really have to get motivated to do any painting because of it. I wish someone would make a really nice, high quality, afordable, disposable airbrush! Wouldn't that be great!!

Maybe hobby shops can have a service similar to disposable cameras. When you're finished, you trade it in for a new one.

I'm kind of right there with Eric as far as lack of desire goes. My kids are big enough that I don't have to watch them 24/7 anymore, but they aren't so old that I can ignore them, either!! My problem is that I get all fired up over a model, start putting it togehter, then hit a point (usually with the fiddley bits) when I slow down. Sometimes, an assembly sequence just doesn't click and I need to give it some time for inspiration to set in. (Things not making sense seem to come along more often and stay longer lately!!) I also HATE cleaning my airbrush and really have to get motivated to do any painting because of it. I wish someone would make a really nice, high quality, afordable, disposable airbrush! Wouldn't that be great!!

I've got a Tamiya 1/16 Tiger I, an Academy 1/35 Mid-Production Tiger I, a Trumpeter 1/16 T-34/76 all sitting in a closet. Not to mention an Aztec airbrush, compressor, PE, etc., etc. I also have irresistible compulsion to buy a Trumpeter 1/16 T-34/85. The two Tigers have been collecting dust for going on two years. Now and then I open the boxes and try to visualize what they will look like when assembled. But with a job, part-time business and other committments, I just can't seem to find the time to get started. Oh well, retirement is looming on the horizon. Maybe then!

Lately, with school, family, and other responsibilities, I have slowed down to a halt. I've commited myself to various GBs, but have yet to find a place to even start a single.
I do tend to build more in winter months, especially around December, as I can find more time during the holidays where I don't have to work/study.
On average, a 1/35 model will take me about a month.

3-5 months sounds about right for me. I haven't really done anything this summer but it is gonna get a little cool here (WI) soon.

In my two finished kits they took 3 and 2 months respectfully. I also haven't finished 4 other builds that I started. My problem, I believe, is too much on the table at one time and a lack of desire to get one finished. In last build, I focused much better and cut my forum time down. That did make a difference. I also get slacky in the summer months.

Well I build a 1/35 armor within 2-4 weeks. I must admit that I am slowing down. I guess we all agree that family responsibilites as well as work indeed can take most of our time.

Even being recently retired from the active work force It seems I have less time then when I was working a forty hr. week? I could make more time for this wonderful hobby but feel an obligation to my immediate family (wife and daughter) and my pets two dogs and a cat. I would be happy just puttering my days away working on misc hobby projects but these factors and of course the costs can sometimes extend th beginning and finishing of projects. Your estimate of 3-5 months to complete a model doesn't seem unreasonable when you have to consider all the other responsiblities that come in a normal day. We're probably with the majority when it comes to start and finish times. Thats another reason why so many of us have these stashes and in some cases huge stashes because there just isn't enough time for play and work. Semper fi, mike

my builds take about the same amount of time. Though I take so long because I have a hard time find the material I need to complete it (it really drive me up the wall the things that cant be shipped through the military postal system- paints, glues...) I also have a complete lack of organization that slow me down :(

I have the same problem with work and family comitments
my Daughter was born on the 27th of August and theres been no chance of making or finishing anything lately, i was carefull when my wife was pregnant so had to slow down then too
now ive got my new model desk and hopefuly get more time i hope to finish alot of my builds that have been waiting